Somaliland reporter arrested, beaten in custody

New York, February
28, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns last week's
arrest and brutal assault of Mohamed Abdirahman, a journalist in the
semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland.

Police arrested
Abdirahman, a reporter for the local news site Subulahanews,
on the morning of February 21 in the northwestern town of Borama, and accused
him of publishing a false story that claimed Ethiopian separatists with the
Ogaden National Liberation Front had settled in the northwestern town of
Lughaya, local journalists said.

While in custody,
Abdirahman was beaten by four police officers with sticks and the butt of a gun
until he lost consciousness, local journalists and news reports said. Police took the
journalist to Borama Hospital, where he was treated in the intensive care unit
for his internal injuries, according to local journalists and news reports. He was moved to Hargeisa
Hospital today so he could receive more advanced treatment, local journalists
said.

"This vicious attack against Mohamed Abdirahman is the
latest example of the severely deteriorating press freedom climate in
Somaliland," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. "Authorities must
ensure a thorough and independent investigation into this crime, and ensure
that those responsible are brought to justice."

Faisal Ali Sheekh
Mohamed, the director general of the Information Ministry, told CPJ he was not
aware of Abdirahman's case but would investigate the matter.

On February 19, two
reporters for the weekly Ogaal were arrested for publishing a
similar report on the ONLF. One of the journalists, Mohamed Abdi, told CPJ they
were arrested on the orders of the interior minister and were taken to the
Central Investigation Department in the capital, Hargeisa. Both journalists
were released on Sunday, local journalists said.

Somaliland
authorities have repeatedly
arrested and arbitrarily detained
independent journalists for reporting on cases of disputed regions in the
semi-autonomous republic. Authorities arrested at least 28 independent
journalists without
charge in January, according to CPJ research.